THE REPRESENTATION OF ULSTER

New Zealand Tablet, 20 February 1913, Page 51

THE REPRESENTATION OF ULSTER

HAS IT A CASE FOR EXCLUSION

The Ulster Unionist members appear at last to have made up their minds to seek the exclusion of Ulster from the scope of the Irish Home Rule Bill (says a writer in the Belfast Irish News). It must be remembered that when such a, proposal was madeas it was made formerly, during the course of the Home Rule debate—the Ulster Unionist members did not venture to endorse the prospect or to advocate it. If the Government now took them at their word and excluded Ulster, no doubt what happened in connection with the exclusion of Trinity College would happen againinclusion would be sought at a later stage. The Ulster Unionists do not want to have Ulster excluded from Home Rule; their present purpose is purely a tactical one of endeavoring to put the Government in an awkward corner by somehow raising an issue which mayj-c,ause division in the Liberal ranks, and possibly evoke some dissension among Liberals in the electorate. In the demand there is nothing which can be sustained by reasoned argument. The whole of Ireland is one national entity, and it is the Unionist case that it should be treated so, because Unionists frankly say that the exclusion of Ulster would not remove their opposition to the Home Rule Bill. They are still opposed, and will remain opposed, to the grant of Home Rule to Ireland, or to any part of Ireland. Then, again, if Ulster is entitled to contract out of the Home Rule Bill, the Nationalist counties of Ulster have the

Same Title to Contract Out of the Exclusion. There are nine counties in Ulster, and for every one of these, except Derry, Nationalist member;*—for borough or county—are returned. [Since this was written the Nationalists have captured Derry.] Donegal returns an unmixed quartette of four Nationalist members. Although one of the most Catholic constituencies in Ireland, it returned for years two Protestant members, Messrs. Swift Mac Neill and Hugh Law. Both members for Cavan are Nationalists, one of them, by the way, being a Protestant, Mr. Samuel Young. Monaghan has two divisions, North and South. Both of them return Nationalists—Messrs. Lardner and McKean ; so that three out of the nine Ulster counties are so overwhelmingly Nationalist that not a single Unionist can find place in any of their eight divisions. Fermanagh returns a Nationalist unopposed for its South Division, while the Tories hold the North Division by a majority of 347 on a poll of 4457. In Armagh the North Division goes Tory. The South Division is so uncompromisingly Nationalist that the official Nationalist at last election was opposed by an Independent,' but nevertheless was returned by a majority of about 2000. County Down has four divisions—East, West, North, and South. In East Down, Captain Craig's opponent polled the respectable figure of 2412. In North Down a Russellite candidate stood in the 1906 election, and polled 2275 votes. In West Down, Mr. Beattie, the Liberal candidate, who stood more than once, has polled close on 3000 votes, while South Down, of course, is represented by the renowned Mr. J. McVeagh. In the City of Belfast, which is m the County of Antrim, Mr. Devlin holds, after more than one strenuous fight, the representation of the West Division. In Antrim County, although the Tories hold at the present time the four seats— North, South, and East—it would be a mistake to assume that the county is exclusively Tory. In North Antrim, for instance, the Liberal candidate at last election polled 2974 votes against 3557 recorded for the Unionist member, Mr. Kerr Smiley. In 1906 Mr. Glendmning, a Liberal candidate, won this seat for Liberalism outright, beating Mr. William Moore, K C , by a majority of 788. In South Antrim, Dr. S. R. Keightley, well known as an author, polled in 1903 no fewer than 3615 votes, while in East Antrim a Russellite candidate in 1906 put up the very respectable total of 2145. In Derry City it is generally known that the Tory tenure of the seat is the result of visible and admitted jerrymandering. Derry City has a majority

of Catholics in its population, although only a minority are allowed on its electoral register. Even as things are, Shane Leslie, standing as a Nationalist candidate, was beaten at last election only by 105 votes on a poll of 4725. In Derry County seats the Tories hold the North, but at last election the Liberals polled 2217 votes, while in South Derry such Liberals ■ as Mr. Samuel Walker (who afterwards became Lord Chancellor of Ireland) have put up such respectable polls as 4053, 4018, 3776, and 3678. At last election the Tories held the seat with the slender majority of 333, the poll being—Gordon (U.), 3845: Johnston (L.), 3512. *" h

It will be seen from all this, that while the Unionists have a majority of one in the Parliamentary representation of Ulster, it would be absurd to suppose, to say, or to believe that any part of the province is so preponderantly Unionist in its population as to leave room for no other political opinion. [Since the Derry election the Nationalists have a majority.] If Ulster were allowed to contract out from the Home Rule Bill, the Nationalist counties of Ulster would have the same right to contract out from such a bargain. And, more than that, the Nationalist divisions of constituencies such as Armagh, Down, and Belfast, where representation at present is mixed, would just have as much right to send their representatives to the Dublin Parliament as the Unionist divisions of such constituencies would have to send their men to the Parliament at Westminster. Of course, the Government will not listen for a moment to the Unionist plea. It is not urged for acceptance, nor even for discussion. It is put forward simply to make mischief, to cause trouble, and, that being its motive, its fate is decided in advance.